TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Uni-President Lions have defeated the CTBC Brothers 7-4 in Game 7 of the Taiwan Series Sunday (Nov. 8) to secure the 2020 Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) title.
After trailing 3-1 in the Taiwanese professional baseball championship finals, the Lions made a storybook comeback by winning three straight games against the Brothers. This was the team's 10th Taiwan Series win in the franchise's history and its first under head coach Lin Yueh-Ping (林岳平).
With the series tied at 3-3, Cuban southpaw Ariel Miranda took the mound for the CTBC Brothers Sunday at the Taichung Intercontinental Stadium in a duel against American right-hander Teddy Stankiewicz for the Lions.
Despite having held the Lions to only one point in Game 3, Miranda was unable to replicate his success and gave up six earned runs over 6.2 innings. In contrast, Stankiewicz managed to minimize the damage done to him and got away with only four earned runs off of 10 hits over the same number of innings.
The Lions' left-fielder, Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲), was named the single-game MVP for three RBIs and a game-defining two-run homer in the seventh inning. Meanwhile, the Taiwan Series MVP went to the 39-year-old veteran Pan Wu-hsiung (潘武雄), who finished the series with eight hits, seven RBIs, and a .471 batting average.
Coach Lin said it was the perseverance of the players that allowed them to overcome the 3-1 deficit. He said the Lions had been underestimated all season but that the players' refusal to give up has helped them clinch the coveted prize, reported CNA.
Lions' Chen Chieh-hsien celebrates after hitting two-run homer in the seventh inning. (CNA photo)
Pan Wu-hsiung (left) named CPBL's 2020 Taiwan Series MVP. (CNA photo)
Lions players running out of dug-out to celebrate Taiwan Series win. (CNA photo)